1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a movable ocean launching system which is capable of launching a space rocket at an optimum location.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been considered that sites that would be ideal for launching geostationary satellites include sites located on the equator. When many space stations which are expected to be launched in the future and take low altitude orbits on the equator are considered, ideal gateways to space on the earth include the equatorial area on the Pacific Ocean. However, present launch sites of large size space rockets such as Tanegashima (at a latitude of 30.degree. North) of the National Space Development Agency of Japan, and Cape Canaveral (at a latitude of 28.degree. North) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of U.S.A. cannot be said to be ideal, though French Kourou (at a latitude of 5.degree. North) of CNES, France is a fairly ideal site. Furthermore, there is no island having a suitable size in the equatorial area of the Pacific Ocean.
At any rate, if in the future the locations of space rocket-launching bases are limited to land areas, there are many limitations with respect to the rights of neighboring residents, protection of the environment, guarantees as to the safety of areas surrounding the base and the sites where rockets are to fall, and so forth. Thus it will become increasingly difficult to obtain suitable locations anywhere in the world.
These days, however, we have reached the stage where the demand for the launching of new or substitute space rockets is constantly rising. This not only applies to the demand for more and more satellites to be launched, but there is also an uncoming need to launch materials and machine parts for the construction of space stations, beginning with the No. 1 space station on which work is planned to start in 1992. It is, therefore, expected that the demand will continue to increase as the commercial potential for the employment of space is realized.
It can, therefore, be said that the appearance of a movable launching system for space rockets which replaces the present land-based launching sites that are so difficult to locate would be extremely significant as such as a system would make it possible to freely select an optimum launch site, as well as greatly increasing the launching capacity and reducing the cost of launching by allowing for continuous launching.